It is common knowledge nowadays that most road construction and maintenance projects carried out nationwide, fall short of expectations in terms of quality.
More so, abandoned road projects abound. During the 19th session of the National Road Board that held yesterday January 12, 2016 at the Star Building in Yaounde under the chairmanship of Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang, members recommended that road companies be henceforth classified after a diagnosis was made of obstacles that mar the development of a befitting road infrastructure in the country.

Highlights of the session included two general exposés by the Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, on the obstacles to the smooth execution of road infrastructure projects and on the institution of performance contracts with road construction companies. Speaking to the press after the in-camera meeting, the Permanent Secretary of the Board, Issofa Moumbain Matapit, disclosed that besides poor quality roads, other prominent obstacles mentioned included incomplete studies before road projects are undertaken, incapacity of some road construction companies to perform the contracts they are awarded, compensation after expropriation, the high cost of raw materials and the financing of the National Road Fund.

The Prime Minister advised that several edicts were under preparation in his services to solve most of the problems raised. “Road construction companies will be classified into five groups to prevent companies from bidding for contracts that they cannot execute,” said the Permanent Secretary. The Board also recommended a Second Generation Road Fund with an autonomous funding while the Prime Minister requested to be updated on the acquisition of quarry sites in Cameroon to see into the cost of road construction raw materials.

During the session, it was also announced that over a thousand kilometres of tarred road will be constructed within the framework of preparations for the female and male versions of the African Cup of Nations tournament scheduled for 2016 and 2019 respectively in Cameroon. — Source : Cameroon Tribune